You haven’t lived ’til you’ve corkscrewed a cucumber!
It does take a hot minute to get your head and hands around it, though, so you could easily just whack at them instead if you’re not in the mood to get technical.
Gochujang is a Korean chilli paste that is full of funk and rising heat. If you’ve bought some gochujang especially to make this, why not give making some kimchi a whirl with some of the leftovers? If you can’t find shiso, feel free to use more fresh coriander instead, but the broody plum tone of shiso leaf is very spesh, so if you’re already at the shops buying gochujang, check whether they’ve got some shiso in the herb section too.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
For the salad
- 8 Lebanese cucumbers, about 800 g
- 1 teaspoon salt flakes
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 long green chilli, thinly sliced
- 1 punnet red shiso microherb leaves (or shiso leaves if you can’t get micros)
For the spicy gochujang dressing
- 2 tablespoons gochujang paste
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
For the final bits & bobs
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons fried shallots
METHOD
- Place each cucumber between 2 chopsticks, slice one side on a 45 degree angle every 5 mm. Flip over and cut straight across, matching up the ends of the diagonal cuts. Sprinkle with salt flakes and toss about to coat. Set these aside to cure, then strain off the liquid after 10 minutes.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the gochujang paste, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, and grated ginger in a large bowl.
- Chuck the cucumber spirals into the bowl with the dressing and gently toss about to coat. Transfer the spirals and dressing onto a serving platter and toss with spring onion, chilli, and herbs. Scatter with toasted sesame seeds and crispy shallots.
Looking for more delicious inspiration? Images and text from Salad for Days by Alice Zaslavsky, photography by Rochelle Eagle. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00. You can find more of Alice’s work @aliceinframes on Instagram.
This recipe was originally published in the title Salad for Days in The Humble Art of Hope in Issue 38 – The Humble Art of Hope. You can purchase previous issues and enjoy more enchanting content here.
